President Preckwinkle Announces Launch of Community Safety Grant Opportunities

$30 Million in funding will support Community Violence Intervention work and Wraparound Services for Survivors of Gun Violence 

Today, Cook County announced two complementary grant opportunities designed to improve community safety in Cook County. Cook County Community Violence Intervention Grants (CC-CVI) will provide $20 million in funding for community-based services such as street outreach to support residents at risk of being involved in community violence. The Cook County Wraparound Services for Survivors of Gun Violence (CC-SGV) initiative will provide $10 million in funding for community-based services that support survivors of gun violence in Cook County.

“Alongside our state and city partners, Cook County remains committed to investing in effective, human-centered approaches to community safety,” said Cook County Board President Preckwinkle. “These thoughtfully designed grant opportunities will strengthen the local community safety ecosystem by reaching and supporting two groups of residents: those most at risk of being involved in gun violence and those who are survivors of gun violence. By supporting our most vulnerable residents, we build safer communities for all.”

Both the CC-CVI and CC-SGV are County-funded grant initiatives administered by the Cook County Justice Advisory Council (JAC). The initiatives are designed to build on the Cook County Gun Violence Prevention and Reduction Grant initiative (GVPR), launched in 2022 as a response to the gun violence crisis that coincided with the Covid-19 pandemic. By leveraging federal American Rescue Plan Act funding, the GVPR grant initiative marked a historic $110 million investment in a diverse array of violence prevention services focused in Cook County communities experiencing the highest rates of gun violence. The CC-CVI and CC-SGV initiatives will sustain key services beyond ARPA, ensuring that Cook County residents closest to the gun violence crisis can access critical programs and services.

“We have seen rates of gun violence start to decline over the past two years, but to ensure continued progress, we must ensure continued investment and continuity of service,” said Avik Das, Executive Director of the Cook County Justice Advisory Council. “The CC-CVI and CC-SGV initiatives are designed to focus on complementary approaches, funding the ongoing prevention and healing work, essential to disrupt cycles of gun violence and bring about lasting peace in communities.”

The CC-CVI and CC-SGV initiatives were developed to align with funding opportunities under the Government Alliance for Safe Communities (GASC). Comprised of leadership from funding agencies at the State of Illinois, Cook County and the City of Chicago, the GASC was formed in 2021 to strengthen the community safety ecosystem in the greater Chicago region. The GASC has partnered with the philanthropic, non-profit and business communities to sustain and scale community violence intervention (CVI) programming across the region. The $20 million CC-CVI initiative is part of Cook County’s commitment to fund community violence intervention services as a member of the GASC.

Both grant opportunities are open to community-based non-profit organizations located and providing services in Cook County. The CC-CVI initiative will fund an array of services including street outreach and case management. The CC-SGV initiative will fund services for survivors and their families including crisis intervention, behavioral health services and emergency financial assistance.

Key Dates

• Thursday, March 6, 2025 at 10:00am – Virtual Information Session 
• Monday, March 17, 2025 – Notice of Funding Opportunities released
• Thursday, March 27, 2025 – Pre-Submittal Conference
• Monday, April 14, 2025 at 5:00pm CST- Application Deadline for CC-CVI and CC-SGV

The virtual information session, hosted by the JAC, will provide prospective applicants with an overview of the funding opportunities including eligibility criteria and application guidelines. The Pre-submittal Conference will offer additional details and include a question and answer session. Prospective applicants may submit questions through Friday, April 4. Questions and answers will be published on Monday, April 7.

For more information and to apply for grant opportunities, visit CookCountyIL.gov/JACGrants